Thanksgiving and 30th birthdays.

As stated in a previous post, Thanksgiving meant getting to visit with G-Man, Gigi, Aunt Kylie, Uncle Ricky, Mimi, Pop-Pop, Uncle Bill, Uncle Steve and Michael. Whew. That's a lot of family, but we have strength in numbers :) It was nice to be able to see my dad again and the girls had fun seeing their great-grandparents. For some reason, Emily had been on a kick mentioning them, yet she hadn't seen them since this summer in New Hampshire. So it took a decent amount of driving over the 3 days we were in town, but it was great to have quality family time. We ended up eating Thanksgiving dinner at the dining hall down the street due to my dad needing strict cooking and such. He stayed behind but we all ate quickly so we could go back and visit with him. Oh, and watch more football too. Before going to eat, we put everyone in their coordinating colors and took some pictures. Picture taking is always an adventure with our family and something we can never take enough of.



This past summer we somehow got a humorous family photo that no one realized was being taken but we were all doing something different and totally not paying attention. Trying to re-enact that was what led to the picture above.
Since we knew G-Man still had to wear his mask around us a good bit of the time, we decided we'd bring Eric's mask for flying. It got a good laugh and had some funny pictures taken with it.

Most of the gang. Too bad Ricky and Eric thought they'd be funny by hiding behind people. Next time that happens, I'll make sure the girls camp out in his hotel room since we had joining rooms:)

G-Man with all his girls!

I love my baby sister! She's growing up too fast. I remember when she was my girls age!
I love my little sister, Aunt Kylie. I am always amused with the pictures I will find on my camera when it's up to her and the girls :) The girls always have a great time with Aunt Kylie as well.
With Thanksgiving day being on the 26th this year, it also was time to celebrate my 30th birthday. I am still trying to cope with being 30 now and was constantly reminded by my children, husband, dad, brother, you name it on how old I was. Thanks guy! They made sure they decorated the house and such while I had to sit outside. Emily at one point came outside and said "Mom, we can't tell you about your cake, it's a surprise". So we pushed the issue and said "What"?. She caught on and replied with "Wait, nevermind." and then wouldn't let us go any further. We all got a good laugh. (On a side note while mentioning funny things Emily says. We had a quick scare thinking we may not be able to make the trip to Jacksonville with Emily getting a cough so I got her an appt at the doc just to be sure. While in with the doctor, Emily wrote her name on the paper that was on the seat she was sitting on. The doctor was asking Emily how old she was and Emily said "I'm 4". The doctor said "Wow, you are smart Emily". Emily simply replied with "I was smart when I was 3 too"! What a character. This is the same kid that is determined to get Aspen (our dog) a bone for Christmas but "we can't tell him b/c it's a surprise".
Per doctor's orders my dad kept up his rehab and exercise schedule even on Thanksgiving day. We all took a family walk and saw some deer tracks, which we showed the girls and said they were probably the reindeer getting ready for Christmas.
Another highlight of the Thanksgiving trip for the girls was to ride the golfcart at the Sonneborn's house where G-Man and Gigi are staying in Jacksonville. We were running short on time, but they were thankful for the quick ride around!

Overall another weekend full of blessings. This Thanksgiving was obviously much more special than others. We have enjoyed the past few years having everyone at our house, but this year it just wasn't possible for my dad to travel that far so we worked with what we had. We always have a good time together and have lots of laughs and this trip was no exception. We are looking forward to Christmas together! Consider yourself caught up!

The new song on the site is one of my favorite Christmas songs and I realize it's about Mary and all her emotions she went through, but it reminds me of my dad. He was given the "Breath of Heaven" and we are so thankful we will get to spend Christmas with him back in South Florida!